The Painting
by The Legend of Rune Factory
Summary: Finally, after working on it for years, Daria is close to finishing her greatest piece of art yet. However, the painting was brought on by the death of her husband, and she's beginning to feel the passage of time. It wasn't like she didn't know she'd live much longer; she just...didn't want to pay attention. He was her rainbow, after all. And she never wanted him to fade away...


**Married Daria in my umpteenth run-through of RF3. When you go on a date with her after marriage, she begins talking about how Micah won't live as long as she will...and that is rather depressing if you think about it. Daria here may seem OOC, but after the death of her husband and the passage of time, she's most likely calmed down. A lot. **

**Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

The heavy, slow strokes of the paintbrush filled the silence of the room. Sunlight streamed in through the section of windows that weren't covered in artwork. Various sculptures of diverse sizes and colors glinted as their metal shone. Paintings seemed to spring to life under the daylight.

On a stool, a lone woman sat before a nearly-finished canvas. She dipped her brush in the paint on the small table next to her. "Hm…" She dabbed it on the largest part of the painting: a giant tree.

_It will be my greatest creation…_ Daria kept telling herself that as she worked on a portrait of her family. For the past years she meticulously slaved over this one piece of art. She seemed almost to forget everything else that went on around her when she was painting this particular item.

As she brought the brush away, she smiled. After so long, it would finally be finished very soon. Gently, she touched the young man's face, her fingertips grazing his cheek. "Micah…" Her eyes closed as she allowed the memories to resurface.

* * *

_"Weren't you scared of marrying me?"_

_ "Yes." _

_ His eyes flashed as he took in her answer. Before he could ask again, she finished. "I'm a hypocrite… I kept telling you that species didn't matter, but… I was scared because I'm an elf." _

_ "That doesn't change anything."_

_ "You don't understand, Micah! Elves live long lives…"_

_ His face fell as he realized what she was getting at. "Oh… Right…"_

_ "I just get so scared sometimes… Do half-monsters live longer than normal humans?"_

_ "I… I don't know…"_

_ She began to feel tears pooling in her eyes. Sniffling, she whimpered, "I don't want to be alone."_

_ "I promise to never leave you. I can't say I'll outlive you, but… If you think of me even when I'm gone, I'll always be with you. Forever. Don't think about it, Daria. Don't cry."_

* * *

The aging elf was brought from her reverie by a knock on the door. "Hm? Come in!" She called, putting her brush next to her paints.

Her daughter, Aria, walked in. "Mom? Are you still working on that painting?" Her pale blonde hair was swept into a messy ponytail at the base of her neck, fully exposing the pointed ears that stuck out from her head. It also showed the dirt she had smeared all over her from farming.

"Yes." Daria glanced back at it. "I'm almost done. Magnificent, isn't it?"

Aria inspected it. She nodded with a smile. "I wish I could art like you can…"

"Haha, well, it takes a lot of practice. I tried to show you once, remember?"

"Yeah, but…" Aria crossed her arms. "I'm just no good."

Her mother grinned. "Well, your brother more than made up for that."

"Bah, him and his music…" She waved her hand absently before crossing her arms. "Anyway, the real reason I'm here was to ask you if you needed anything. I'm meeting someone at Oddward Valley."

"Oh really?" Daria tilted her head slightly. "And who might this person be?"

"W-well…" Aria fidgeted for a moment before squeaking out, "Zero…"

She merely picked up her brush again. "Hmph. I see… You're lucky he's not as lazy as his grandmother…" She knew Zero to be the grandson of Karina and Zaid, or the son of their son.

"So it's all right?!"

Daria merely nodded. "Be careful. There are monsters there."

"I will!" Aria dashed out of the art studio, slamming the door behind her.

The elf shook her head before turning her attention back to her art. Micah's smiling face gazed down at her, his eyes shining with happiness. A younger Aria and her little brother, Michael, played at the couple's feet. The family stood before their home that was the Sharance Tree. Daria herself was leaning against her husband as he had his arm wrapped around her waist. The leaves of the tree where pink, signaling the season of Spring, and petals fell around them.

As she painted, touching up Micah's face and adding another layer over Aria's eyes, she could not help but feel the wave of sadness that washed over her. It had been…_years_ now since her husband passed. Still, waking up every morning without him depressed her. It wasn't like she hadn't expected it; she knew that, as an elf, she would outlive him by centuries. However…when it finally happened…

She allowed the paintbrush to slip through her fingertips as she closed her eyes, tears silently streaming down her pale face. "You… You were my rainbow…"

_"I promise I'll be with you forever. Just think of me…when I'm gone…"_

"I've tried that… Nothing works…" She growled lowly. "It doesn't bring you back…"

After a few moments she took a deep breath and gazed back up at her painting. There remained only a few more brushstrokes until it could be called complete. Her master work was nearly finished. She stooped to pick up the fallen brush from the floor.

Once more the sound of her brush filled the room as sunlight filtered in. She became intent on her craft, ignorant and blind to the world. Nothing mattered except her and the painting. She couldn't afford to allow something to take her concentration away now, not when she was so close…

_"Thank you for bringing me here."_

_ "You're welcome. I'm glad we could do this."_

_ "Let's go home…to our home."_

* * *

**Reviews are kindly appreciated!  
**

**-LoRF**


End file.
